


Just To Take The Edge Off

by Richdsmadden



Category: Bodyguard (TV 2018)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-11
Updated: 2019-01-11
Packaged: 2019-10-08 08:54:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17383517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Richdsmadden/pseuds/Richdsmadden
Summary: Julia returns home to David acting... strange.





	Just To Take The Edge Off

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Jamie for suggesting this story. Tbh, I was a little unsure as how to end this, BUT I hope that it's not terrible. David is also soooo out of character BUT if he was written normally this dynamic just wouldn't work. Also, I have NOOO idea what this is BUT enjoy!

It was colder than she had anticipated when she stepped out of the Ministerial car. After a lengthy debate on the way home from the Home Office she had managed to convince her PPO, PC Tom Fenton, that letting her take a walk in Hyde Park – alone – was much less of a risk than before.

It was nice, for a second, as the cold wove its way through her coat; finding the little cracks in her outer garments to penetrate to her skin. Wrapping her coat slightly tighter round herself, and helping her scarf up to her chin, Julia moved herself around the gate, that marked the entrance to Hyde Park, and took a deep breath as she started along the public pathway. 

Jamming her hands into her pockets she allowed her mind to slow down, a smile now coming into her face as she took in her surroundings. There was a couple running in the distance, the woman in front of her boyfriend, Julia assumed. She thought about whether he was trying to make her feel better about herself and make her think that she was running faster than he was, or whether he was just less fit than she was. Julia laughed to herself, a large plume of white swirling around her. She enjoyed this part of life: people watching, not stalking but observing. At some moments, she was sure that it made her better at her own job – if she was able to watch how different people in public reacted to each other when they thought that no one was watching, then surely, she would be better at reading the body language of people who knew they were being watched.

The wind had picked up and the leaves on the floor were pulled up into the air forming a little tornado of orange ahead of her. The Home Office was busy, and she related the feeling of stress with the grey walls of her office; however, here was a different story. She was able to take some time by herself before she returned home – the place now that she never wanted to leave.

A year ago, times were a lot different than to her current present day. She would return late to a cold and empty apartment, with nothing more than her files of paperwork and a bottle of wine if the traffic wasn’t too bad. She never complained because it was nice to live without Roger, but she was lonely, and Julia knew that it was affecting her work relationships. However, now she returned to a lit and warm home where usually there was someone there for her.

Ever since St. Matthews, David had been staying over. It wasn’t until they had made the mutual decision to publicly announce their relationship. Everything was done right: David had been divorced from his wife for well over six months; he had retired from his position as her PPO two months before to go and work in the Counter Terrorism Unit, and Julia had even spoken to the people in her field to make sure that everything was done in a way that the press couldn’t use against them – so far there had been no screw ups, just the odd front cover of a paparazzi shot of the two of them walking hand in hand on the way back from dinner. Truthfully, Julia was happy with the way things had turned out. They were able to spend time together as a genuine couple, rather than fearing that at some time, someone was going to find out their little secret. Well, it wasn’t a secret anymore.

Julia wasn’t sure how far she had walked but the time her mind had fully moved onto David. It had been hours since she had last seen him, and her body was yearning to be curled up against him on the sofa, but she knew that this walk was what she needed before she returned to him – she was worried that one day the stress would overwhelm her and end up ruining what good they had created. Again, being prepared and organised, something she was rather good at, Julia had put into place measures to stop both of their stress’ from building up. 

This relationship had been different than her pervious one. Before, with Roger, she almost moved in with him straight away, always living out of his house, and him never giving her the opportunity to sleep in her own bed, even after an argument. However, being with David was the complete opposite. She wanted to be with him, and it didn’t matter where that was. They had almost fallen into a routine: some days they would retire to Julia’s apartment if she was working late because it was easier for them both to come back from their jobs in the city, but other times they would stay the night at David’s flat – a space that Julia had quickly grown to love – if he’d had a therapy session that day.

Therapy. The word stuck with Julia as she began her return to the Ministerial car – she could see it in the distance. She knew how much David had hated the idea of speaking to a professional about what he had seen during his time in the war, but deep down, Julia knew that he knew he had to go. She remembered the look on his face when she had opened the door again after he had tried, without meaning the action, to strangle her. The mix of embarrassment and fear streaming down his face as she stared at him. A warmth spread across Julia as she continued along the path, not because the memory was bad for her, on the contrary, it was one of her fondest memories of him. That night he had been at his most vulnerable, the time that he was in most need of her help, and she would never forget the way he almost slid to his knees when she finally wrapped her arms around him. He had come a long way since then, and Julia couldn’t have been prouder.

Reaching the gate of Hyde Park again, she watched Fenton speak into his mic, probably to update HQ that they would soon be on the move. Julia was thankful for the warmth as she slid into the car, Tom only making light conversation as the pulled out into the traffic on the way home.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The hallway was quieter than she had expected as she pulled out her key from the lock, the door closing behind her has she leaned down to place her bags down. “David?” she called as she unwound her scarf from her neck and started to undo the buttons on her coat. “David?” she called again, this time a little louder, as she hung up her jacket and padded into the kitchen, ‘weird’ she thought ‘he could be home by now, I hope everything was okay with his therapist.’ Just as she was about to pull out her phone to call him, a groggy, but humour filled, voice became audible from the living room.

“In hereee.” He sung, Julia now knowing that something was off, but she couldn’t help herself from smiling as she entered the room. David was laying across the couch in his jeans and a t-shirt, it was odd, even now, to see him out of his formal wear, but she was slowly getting used to it. She stood with her hands playfully on her hips and raised an eyebrow. “You found meeee.”

Julia sighed, the smile remaining on her lips and her eyes not leaving his. “So, how did it go today?”

He rolled himself up, so he was in a sitting position and giggled, Julia realised that he was swaying slightly, and felt the urge to go and sit beside him to steady him, however, she remained in her spot until she had acquired more information. “It was goooood, we just chatted ‘bout stuff.” 

At no point in their relationship had she seen him like this, although it was funny seeing him so happy, she was slightly concerned. Still keeping an eye on him, she moved into the kitchen to grab a bottle of wine and two glasses. It was only then that she had realised that he was sitting in a dark room, the only light was coming from the kitchen. Julia found the light switch and flooded the room with light – she watched him react slower, but more obviously than usual. Her brows knitted together as she took a seat beside him. “David, what’s going on with you? Have you been drinking?”

David laughed again, he was avoiding her eye contact, and it reminded her of Charlie when he knew he had done something wrong, but his father didn’t know exactly what he had done – now she knew where he got it from, this bringing the smile onto her face again. “Noooo, I haven’t buuut I do have a question for youuu.” 

Shuffling closer towards him she replied: “What’s that?” but before she could reach him fully, he had toppled into his side with his head in her lap, his eyes staring up at hers from below. Without meaning too Julia let out a giggle before she was able to compose herself again.

“When did we get a cat?” he was whispering now, and Julia had given up worrying because she had finally worked out what was going on.

She raised an eyebrow at him and laughed. “We haven’t got a cat, David.” She sounded unsure, but it was only for his benefit. Leaning over him, her hand on the side of his face to stop his head falling out of her lap as she grabbed her wine glass from the table, she let him continue:

“Well then, why am I looking at such a fine-“

“Alright, alright. I think that’s enough of that.” Julia laughed as she leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead, another thing that continued to clarify her suspicions as it was clammy. “Tell me, what have you taken?” she wanted it to come from him, rather than make an accusation that could cause him to blow up in her face.

David looked up at her, his head still in her lap, a cheeky smile spread across his face, but he sat up to look at her better. “Well, the doctor prescribed me some medical marijuana just to take the edge off.”

Julia suddenly felt very cold, her mind starting to race as she thought about all the times that he had woken up in the night because he couldn’t deal with dreaming about the battle fields – the ones she had sent him to – anymore. ‘Take the edge off’ – the words ran around and around in her mind before she spoke. “If you’re struggling David you know you can talk to me about any of it.” She was facing him now, her hand resting on his cheek. She could feel him swaying still, but it was nice to watch him lean into her hand.

“I’m doing fine, really.” He seemed clearer then, his light tone and ‘woozy’ attitude sliding away, his normal voice almost fully returning. “This is the best I’ve felt since I left for my tour all these years ago. The doctor just suggested that I tried it to see of it made any difference before she made the final decision to put me on it permanently.”

Sighing with relief, Julia leaned into him. Now allowing herself to relax into his arms, the smell of his t-shirt instantly causing her rushing mind to slow back to its normal pace. “Is it working for you?” she asked, her head tilted up, so she was able to look at him and watched him take a second to process a thought. She laughed because she knew that his head was still foggy.

“If I’m being honest,” he cot really close to her ear, his lips moving across her hair as he spoke. “I don’t actually have that much of an idea as to what is going on at the moment.” They both burst out into laugher, and finally Julia managed to release herself from him briefly to grab the TV remote. 

“Well, if you’re not too sure as to what is going on, you won’t mind if I put on one of my shows then.” She was looking away from him, but she could hear him sigh as he ran a hand over her back.

“As long as you’ll let me order in dinner and fall asleep next to you on the couch, I couldn’t care less if you watched the Great British Bake Off or Prime Minister’s bloody questions.” She giggled but still heard him say under his breath: “why you’d want to watch that bollocks anyway I have no idea.” 

Julia slapped him playfully on the leg and she watched his eyebrows shoot up, she also knew that he was messing with her. She rolled her eyes again and returned to her place beside him. Her hand on his lap, and his arm around her shoulders. It felt right to be in such a domestic situation with him now, even if she could feel him slowly falling asleep behind her, there was no where else she would rather be.


End file.
